Gerald Brian Dorr, 19 One of our boys who didn't come home

Published in the 6/21/2018 Middleboro Gazette

At age 19, USMC PFC Gerald Brian Dorr, born on January 15, 1948 was the first Middleboro serviceman to lose his life in Vietnam.He had joined the Marine Corps on March 28, 1966.

On April 2, 1967, during a combat mission in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, Gerald was critically wounded during an enemy attack. It was reported that Gerald was in his foxhole when a hand grenade exploded. He suffered multiple major wounds from the explosion.

He was subsequently rushed to the Da Nang Station Hospital, where he died of his wounds nearly 2 weeks later, on April 15.He had been assigned to Headquarters Company of the First Marines at the time.

His mother, Josephine (Grant) Dorr of 195 West Grove St received a military telegram confirming his death by combat wounds. The telegram also informed Mrs. Dorr that her son was to be accorded a military service with a Marine escort and pall bearers. He was laid to rest in St. Mary's Cemetery. At his grave stone, a bronze plaque is attached, which bears a poem he had sent home to his mother. He is also remembered on the dedication plaque in his memory on Rt 28 over the railroad tracks and his name is engraved at the Middleboro Veterans Memorial Park's main casualty stone.

PFC Dorr's poem is also prominently displayed on the black marble Vietnam casualty stone in the Middleboro Veterans Memorial Park, and is re-produced as part of the accompaning photo of PFC Dorr.

Bob Cubie, who was a staff writer for the Brockton Enterprise, penned a 1990 Veterans Day article about Middleboro's Vietnam War casulaties. He listed all the boys who were lost and highlighted Dorr's poem in his article.

He quoted Dorr's sister June for the story. She said "That poem went all across the country after he was killed. I miss him, but it made me proud that newspapers all across America thought my brothers' poem was good enough to publish. It may have helped a lot of mothers who lost sons in Vietnam. My mother got letters from as far away as the state of Washington."

She revealed in Cubie's Enterprise story theat "he wasn't athletic or real smart in school. He went to Middleboro High, but he never graduated. What he loved to do was draw cartoons and write poetry. He joined the Marine Corps with his best friend, Kevin DesRosiers, under the buddy system.."

Gerald B Dorr's family survivors were his mother; father Merrill C. Dorr, a brother Robert and 3 sisters, June, Marilyn and Debbie.